Darwin College Future Plans

A Message from Mary Fowler, Darwin College Master

Darwin is now entering its 52nd year and I look back with happiness at the successes we have helped realise and with gratitude for the financial support we have received from many individuals and institutions since our small beginnings; we also look forward with excitement and anticipation to the possibilities of the next 50 years..... and beyond.

Darwin College emerged through the generous donations of our three founding Colleges: Gonville and Caius, St John's and Trinity. It has further expanded through the support of The Rayne Foundation. The College is also fortunate to receive generous support from its ever-expanding membership, today numbering some 7,500 alumni/ae, over 700 students and 100 fellows and senior members. The College has created a vibrant multicultural and interdisciplinary atmosphere, and is a springboard for our students into their chosen careers. At the beginning of our second half century, we look forward with excitement and anticipation to the next 50 years, in which the pace of intellectual enquiry will no doubt accelerate. The College's mission is to foster and facilitate this, a task we are ready for but for which we will need your help:

Our goalsencompass extending student support through bursaries and scholarships, creating further research fellowships, and conserving, improving and expanding the College's buildings and accommodation.

Student Support One of our particular strengths is bringing together the diversity of students and their academic disciplines. Because of our ethos we attract the highest calibre students—many of whom go on to become leaders in their field and make significant contributions to the arts, politics, scientific research, education, academic and public life, as well as to major areas of commerce and industry. We believe we must continue to ensure that we appeal to the very best students regardless of their financial circumstances. In order to do this we need to offer more student bursaries and scholarships.

A recent PhD student and bursary recipient said “I was overjoyed at my acceptance of a place at Darwin; however, the cost of funding my course was of great concern. I do not know how I would have completed my studies here without the support of the college.”

To help our current and prospective students get a head start for their future consider giving to our Student Support Appeal. Anything you can give will go directly to aid the students in greatest need to continue their studies here, and thereby indirectly support them to secure a future where they can make a significant contribution to their chosen field of work.

Our biggest single task is to increase significantly the number of students for whom we can provide College rooms.

Our immediate focus is to one of our newest projects, named after one of our founders. The late Sir John Bradfield was as Senior Bursar of Trinity College instrumental in the foundation of the College. With the generous support of Trinity College, the John Bradfield Court will be a lasting memorial to his remarkable foresight. The court will be based around the croquet lawn and will involve the creation of a John Bradfield room and many much needed amenities. We aim to raise £500,000 from alumni and friends towards this project.

Our ever present duty is to work to grow the College's unrestricted general endowment enabling the College to fund projects and academic initiatives and to direct your support to where it is most needed.

If you would like to learn more about how you can benefit the College, please follow the links below: